Look like a butterfly, Sting like a bee
by rouge fairy
Summary: The great and terrible beauty of the Yamani ladies can be both helpful and deadly. In Yamani, they are a force to be reckoned with. This is their story…
1. AN

**Look like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee**

**Disclaimer** – We do not, in any way, shape for form, claim to be Tamora Pierce. Nor are we selling this story for monetary means. We do not own the Tortall series, nor are we trying to gather credit for writing them. This applies to all chapters. We would like to add though, that whatever you don't recognize is property of Kyra and I, and we would appreciate it if you would ask us before you use anything of ours.

**Characters** – Lady Sinkomiki and other original characters that Kyra or I feel like coming up with.

**Pairing** – Canon and Original Character pairings

**Status** – In-Progress

**Information** – This is a tag! Fic (idea dedicated to TimeTurnerForSale and Ariadne AWS) that my fellow writer and friend and I started a few months back. We'll be switching the story back and forth, so hopefully we can update at a good pace. I credit Kyra with the brilliant title and the idea to write about Yamani ladies. She was the perpetrator of this whole thing, by the way.

**Authors** – fantasizingfluff and Rouge Fairy

**Beta** – No one, so far. Kyra and I tend to edit each other's stuff.

**Summary** – The great and terrible beauty of the Yamani ladies can be both helpful and deadly. In Yamani, they are a force to be reckoned with. This is their story…

**Please Note:** The characters in this story are not static, as it is an anthology. Consider yourselves forewarned.


	2. Chapter 1

**Look like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee**

Lady Sinkomiki looked up from her meditation as Lady Hirachi and five other women entered the room. They were all dressed alike, in black kimonos with red trim and obis. The obis were simply tied, with black embroidery. Their dress signified the ladies positions as Guards of the Emperor. Their hair was also the same, pulled back into a severe bun with two hair sticks through it. They might have looked harmless, but they were actually cleverly concealed weapons.

Into each of the lady's obi was thrust a fan. Each was red, with black embroidery and trim. These were also weapons, the deadly shukusen. The edge of each fan was tipped in perfectly tempered Yamani steel. Each of the ladies carried a glaive with them, they wielded with perfection.

Lady Hirachi stepped forward and bowed with her hands on her thighs. The five ladies behind her followed suit. Lady Sinkomiki allowed them to rise, before she gracefully rose from her position on the floor, to return the bow.

She looked quizzically at the ladies before her, and questioned, "Are you not supposed to be guarding the Emperor?" It was a gentle rebuke, and Lady Hirachi, at least, had the decency to look ashamed.

After a moment, Lady Hirachi began, "Lady Sinkomiki, the Emperor requested we leave his presence, as he felt that he did not need female protection." She looked down at the last words.

Lady Sinkomiki swept forward until she was in front of Lady Hirachi She reached out and lifted the younger woman's chin up, and looked into her eyes. "Are you ashamed of you position?" she questioned. Lady Hirachi shook her head respectfully. "Then why did you leave your post?"

Lady Hirachi looked down once more as another woman voiced the thoughts of all the ladies. "He could have had us executed for disobedience."

Lady Sinkomiki turned towards the woman. "I though that we were to give selfless service. Have we not sworn oaths to serve and protect the Emperor to our very deaths? Are you saying you would rather save yourself and leave the Emperor defenseless? It is our _duty_ to protect him."

Finally, Lady Hirachi looked up and asked, "Would you be willing to petition him for our return to service?"

Lady Sinkomiki looked at her and questioned, "Why not Lady Sarinko?" She named the ladies instructor.

Lady Hirachi replied, "We believed that the Emperor would be more willing to listen to you, as you are a fourth rank princess."

Lady Sinkomiki sighed, and replied, "I will go and petition the Emperor, for all our sakes."

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	3. Chapter 2

**Look like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee**

Lady Sinkomiki looked at the two guards, almost sighing in frustration, though she let no emotion show on her face.

"If you are not willing too let me pass, I will have to fetch Lady Sarinko. I have important business with the Emperor." She hoped the threat of the notorious woman would be enough to persuade the guards.

The two men exchanged a glance through hooded eyes. "The Emperor requested he be not disturbed," one spoke up.

"I have pressing business with the Emperor," Lady Sinkomiki repeated.

Again the guards looked at each other. Finally, they slowly opened the heavy doors that led into the throne room.

With her head bowed, Lady Sinkomiki carefully approached the dais, upon which the young Emperor was seated. Under lowered lashes, she examined the room. Normally, it would be bustling with activity, but today, it was devoid of life.

When Lady Sinkomiki reached the foot of the dais, she knelt and bowed low before the Emperor, hands on her thighs and her forehead touching the floor.

In a lazy voice, the Emperor called out, "Rise." He gazed down upon her from his jewel-encrusted throne, boredom glazing over his twelve-year-old eyes.

"Your Highness…" Sinkomiki began, but was stopped when a yell and sudden crash sounded from the closed doors behind the dais. Those doors led to a passage, which was the emergency exit from the throne room. They led directly to the Emperor's chambers, and where guarded by six men at both ends.

Suddenly, the doors burst open, revealing the six guards lying slain on the floor, along with half a dozen pirates.

Twelve pirates remained standing, and they began to advance, grinning as they saw that the Emperor's only guard was a woman.

Standing, Lady Sinkomiki drew her glaive and ran up the steps to the dais. She grabbed the Emperor, shoving him behind her, and began to run towards the front doors.

The pirates, seeing her strategy, split up. Eight advanced towards the Emperor and lady, cutting off their escape route. Two raced for the door, holding it shut against the banging of the soldier's delayed reaction to the commotion in the throne room. Two more pirates grabbed multiple objects, such as ornamental glaives, to block the doors from intrusion. The doors to the escape route behind the dais were barred in a similar manner.

While this was all happening, Lady Sinkomiki was retreating into a corner, pushing the Emperor behind her. The pirates were advancing on her, weapons drawn. Then, one pirate charged, breaking the tense silence. Sinkomiki deftly cut him down with her glaive. She then swung around and dispatched the pirate that was attempting to sneak up on her right.

As soon as she had caught enough breath, Sinkomiki began yelling for help. Unfortunately, it did not help the futile attempts of the two soldiers to open the heavily barred doors.

Upon hearing Sinkomiki's scream, the remaining pirates charged with wild abandon.

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When the soldiers managed to get into the room, eight pirates lay dead in pools of their own blood. The warrior's quickly dispatched the rest, bowing once to the lady, before leading the Emperor away.

Without looking back, Lady Sinkomiki left the blood stained room.

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	4. Chapter 3

**Look like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee**

With her long brown hair flowing, a weathered woman in a somber kimono looked to be doing a graceful dance. Her shukusen fan was open, and the eight women before her were watching it out of the corners of wary eyes. She spun, and her bare feet scuffed up a small dust cloud from the dirt. Her right hand was above her head, twirling the fan. As she finished the spin, her hand brought the fan down in a derisive snap, to rest at the base of one of the women's throats. That woman, Lady Hirachi, suppressed the urge to swallow heavily.

"Did you forget your position?" the lady with the open fan, Lady Sarinko, snarled. "You let a boy," she continued, "of twelve years tell you that you are not capable of guarding him, because you are a woman?"

Timidly, Lady Hirachi ventured, "He is the Emperor…"

"That is of no matter!" Lady Sarinko replied as she snapped her shukusen closed and removed it from before Hirachi's throat.

Each of the ladies who were Guards of the Emperor not only knew of Lady Sarinko's famed temper, they had experienced it. As the commander of the Guards of the Emperor, she was tough and unforgiving. She had lived through snowstorms, pirate attacks, and many other things. Her skills as a fighter were legendary, and she expected no less then perfection from those she taught. To be taught be her was a privilege, though most did not enjoy it. She was an exacting taskmaster.

Eyes flashing dangerously, Lady Sarinko snarled to the ladies, "There are no excuses for the mistakes you made today. You should have never consented to leave the Emperor's presence. It is your sacred duty to protect him. Even if death was the punishment for disobeying his command, it is what you should have done. After you did leave, as your Commander, it was I that you should have come to straight away. Lady Sinkomiki was not the one to be called to help cover up your mistake. You excused from my presence until I find a fitting punishment."

To Lady Sinkomiki, Sarinko added, "You are to stay here. I have not yet finished talking to you."

Sinkomiki stood stiffly, letting no emotion show on her face as the other ladies turned, and left.

A few moments later, Lady Sarinko turned to the one remaining Guard of the Emperor. With a raised eyebrow, and distain evident in her voice, she said, "Most would commend you for your actions today. I will not. You have stepped out of line, and you will have to pay the consequences."

She paused for a moment to step closer to Sinkomiki. Venomously, Lady Sarinko hissed, "Sinkomiki, you showed promise. When you joined the Guards of the Emperor, you were destined to be one of the greatest. But you rebelled. You threw that all away with your unorthodox actions. You learned other methods of fighting from other sources. You have been trained to use a glaive, as is worthy of one of noble birth. It is not fitting to fight with your hands and feet as a commoner would. You have a glaive for a good reason. You are to use it, and only it.

"Toady, you did not inform anyone of the fact that the Emperor dismissed his guards. Instead, you took action into your own hands. This is inexcusable. You are dismissed." Bowing her head, Sinkomiki turned to leave. "You will be expected to have your room cleaned out by the end of this day."

Sinkomiki whirled, shock clouding the Yamimi's usually calm face. "Gone? But my lady…"

"**You are dismissed**." Sinkomiki turned and left the room, her feet dragging on the heavy carpet.

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End file.
